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le Main Drag

by The Bon Mots

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tessilu
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tessilu This track really hits all the sweet spots for me. Lots of nice surprises, natural elements, fresh narrative and composition. I'm feeling some Yeats and Whitman, a little Blake, Rimbaud, Ovid. . . But also Elvis Costello and REM. Just lovely. Favorite track: Nocturna.
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1.
Glistening 04:00
Glistening you wear the summer beautifully Accessorize in skin just to draw me in Basting in suntan lotion marinade of coconuts and gin Just to draw me in And watch me fall apart Well there's a start to getting deep inside your heart to stay Or turn away if that's not what you're going through today Truth or dare I dare you just to tell the truth about your latest dare Crashing scenes with Lucky Strikes and limousines and Wondering why they stare To watch you fall apart Well there's a start to getting deep inside your heart to stay Or turn away if that's not what you're going through today Shivering you wear your beauty honestly Accessorize in skin Rolling eyes turned upward toward the garish skies And pause to take them in And know you've done me in And watched me fall apart Well there's a start to getting deep inside your heart to stay Or turn away if that's not what you're going through today
2.
Nocturna 03:22
Nocturna Every now and every then And every other chance I get I look for you under the frozen moon Though I'm certain we've never met I'm sure you've got a name That you're just not listing Too pure for the light of day But when the frost is glistening I hear the trees shiver Whisper your name A little ways from where I live Is the place you've been hiding in With king of the underground In the dark and without a sound Nocturna Flowing down to the sunless sea To the realm of uncreated things Unleashed this melody Played his tune for the shadow king Nocturna
3.
Under Wraps 03:32
We smile nice Accepting tragedy as a plot device And far away Somebody sees this all as a holiday It's hard as hell But tough's a cool disguise And you wear it well Avoid the touch 'Cause coming clean right now's Just a bit too much The truth and such But keep it under wraps Until you get your shadow back The engineers of your destruction Swing from the chandeliers We start from scratch To build a perfect monster That won't talk back Imagine that But keep it under wraps Until you get your shadow back
4.
Touched By A Robot Step on the train There's no going back to the summer It's gone forever Tripping the turnstile one last day Up on the platform The door slides open Now it's closing Going away See it rolling They're going away See them all wave Every thing that you want Is everything you need It's a pity it's everything you see In every page of every magazine Like an antenna Stand at attention Receive the message Line up for blessing Going away Touched by a robot Signal's in range See them all wave Now you're breaking your bank As you break your back Stare at the billboards Workers are up on the track Their hair and nails and their teeth And cheekbones Can't get control of it There's a hole in it Wrapped up in headlines Head for the salt mines Going away Wrapped up in headlines Rolling away See them all wave
5.
6.
Five Coats 02:53
Five Coats Standing all by himself Under the viaduct Got fiver coats on Plus one for good luck Got the earflaps down On his hat pulled low When you look at the guy You think it's forty below But he's sweating in the August sun And the salt off his brow Makes his mascara run He's got it all buttoned down But his mind's undone Now he's kicked himself loose From the earth and sea Flat on his back In the middle of the street People and cars pass by His six-stop bed Not as hard to direct As the traffic in his head No you can't tell him what to do Because he's perfectly free Inside his point of view He's pointing six ways at once and Nowhere too What you see is what you forget Instantly Like it hasn't happened yet On a screen Cinema verite Look away You can stare and look away
7.
Tailights 03:12
8.
Get Heavy 03:37
Get Heavy It's coming to get me Survival of the fittest Throw a fit to win you idiot And it's scary Like a disease I didn't see Until it bore down on me Well there's a not so little part of me Stuck here at this never ending party It'll be okay I'll be all right I just slept through the most important section Of my life Dug into your pocket and I paid my way Every little step of the way Now I'm a little homesick And a little sick 'Cause I don't got no one here to buy me dick Now I'm pretending to be innocent Faking a mood of modesty and generalized regret And I'm really starting to bug me Just last night I was fawning like an advertisement This is the part where it starts to get (heavy) Took her to the bathroom for a little kiss In a classic combination of innocence and filth Fluorescent spark in the reflection And some funky little pills Committing random acts of smugness Using words I can't pronounce Check out the full set of italics Hanging off my mouth
9.
Vultures 03:36
10.
Time Was 03:13
Time Was Under the desert Of every blank hour That you spend looking back You could be soaking In the reservoir Got it all boxed up So you'll never forget Where all the time went None of the names were changed They all stayed the same No one was innocent Time was not a single design Went undone Sing said it was driving you Blind dumb and dead Eyes down head turned around Sign said it was driving you Blind dumb and dead Step in the river Then step in again Take a good look down Footsteps going to dissolve Here's a riddle With your mind undone Is it frozen in time Stare at the sun Perfectly preserved Time was you were the lucky one
11.
Errant Geese 04:14
12.
Idiot Kiss 03:58
Idiot Kiss Just before daybreak As the eavesdroppers crawled out I saw a little doubt Creep into the corners of your mouth Not really digging your new mantra Now I"m not digging my new mantra too Don't like jokes Jokes are too funny Jokes don't tell me what I should do Should I jump on in line For the hots pants insurrection Free your mind Free yourself from my inspection You're feeling fine Got your eyes beyond the fences It's no crime Just some trumped up false pretenses Read your red book at my own peril Red book burning in the back of my mind Red book dawning with the word eternal Red book burning in the red book light So if ignorance is bliss Come on baby flip the switch Give me that idiot kiss Turn off my mind take a trip Got a hot wire to my spine Got me livid with desire Come on, come on Give me that idiot kiss Lying in the dirt On the back of my high horse High horse riding in to waste the day Can't stop talking Now you're making me nervous Can't stop walking like a talking cliche

about

Notices for le Main Drag (2003)

Excerpts from some reviews of le Main Drag. Full reviews are collected at: www.thebonmots.com/words/notices.html

SPIN, August 2004
If Le Main Drag is any indication, the Bon Mots are one of the most promising new bands out there. Before long, they might have a chart-topping double LP on their hands. Regardless, they already have a debut of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik proportions in the bank. Think Spoon with a shot of simmered down Hot Hot Heat and a nod to the Yardbirds to boot. [Grade: A-]

JIM DEROGATIS, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/21/05
Appealingly jangly psychedelic/power-pop quartet that draws on the familiar influences of the Byrds and the Zombies but rises to the top of this always-overcrowded genre by virtue of its strong songwriting, Chris Frantisak's atmospheric keyboards and the swirling production of its 12-song album . . . it's worth attention. At its best moments, it evokes the Rain Parade's classic "Emergency Third Rail Power Trip."

Daily Herald
A 12-song gem . . . with many lush layers of pop sophistication. These are not straightforward tunes in the classic sense, but they remain tuneful, spiked by a range of heavily carbonated guitars. Intelligent and appealing just scratch the surface here.

Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover
This is the sort of ringing pop with great rhythm section work that stands out…

Copper Press: Daily Copper Interview with Eric and Mike

Richard Milne of WXRT Radio Chicago sayeth:
"Le Main Drag" is one of the Top 5 Local Anesthetic albums for 2003.

Monica Kendrick, Chicago Reader, Spot Check 11/14/03
[S]ome mysterious alchemy is apparently at work. [T]he debut from the Bon Mots is pretty dazzling. It's a lush, mature, and audacious mix of heady guitar fizz and old-fashioned pop songwriting . . . . definitely worth keeping an eye on.

DAGGER, Issue #34, Spring 2004
I have never seen Chicago's THE BON MOTS live so basically all I have to go on is their one CD called LE MAIN DRAG (Mellifluid Records) that DAGGER contributor John Gray turned me onto, but man, what a CD it is! They take the best parts of late 80's New Zealand jangle (think Straightjacket Fits) and blend it into their own near-perfect stew. Read on readers . . . (Tim Hinely)

AMPLIFIER, July 2004
[D]efies any attempt to easily categorize them as mere revisionists . . .a skewered delivery, an atmospheric, heavily textured ambiance that makes their approach sound slightly somewhat aloof and less embraceable than those they're said to emulate. In that sense, they more accurately resemble bands like the Church and REM, groups that also draw on '60s references but often filter them through a hazy, psychedelic sheen. The droll vocals . . . contribute to this perception . . . there's an understated irony that frequently underscores their bittersweet melodies.

ALL MUSIC GUIDE
The Bon Mots just may be Chicago's best-kept secret. Coy's infectious "Glistening" opens the set with a well-plotted, upbeat pop song chronicling a fascination with cigarette-clutching supermodels. Giving way to Chial's Marshall Crenshaw-like pipes on "Nocturna'"; a lush, dreamy ode that explores the Mots' depth. And for each head bopping, hummable number like "Time Was" and "Under Wraps" that these Windy City cats bring forth, there's a hazy, jazzy "Get Heavy," or a dark, rumbling "Vultures" to cement just how dexterous these guys really are. Coy and Chial bring their game on Le Main Drag, resulting in a dozen keepers.

The Daily Texan, Austin, TX
Indie-pop freshness combined with warm jazzy methodology . . . a lot of their messages do not come pre-digested, but it does make for some flavorful analytical listening . . . though rhetorically eloquent, they help digest some of their heaviness with intelligent instrumentals. With the support of keyboadist Chris Frantisak, whose Wulitzer skills are reminiscent of Billy Preston during his Beatles stint, and drummer Kevin Hoetger, who supplies wicked back-beat jazz flow. (4 and a half out of 5 stars).

Mundane Sounds
A great record from a fine band . . . their raison d'etre appears to be nothing more than to go out and have a fun time making sophisticated yet enjoyable pop. I can't fault them for that, and I don't. "Ghetto Falsetto" is just one of many really great songs. (Mundane Sounds CD Sampler)

MOVEMENT- Jacksonville, FLA
The Bon Mots write really good pop music . . . the best thing musically to come out of Chicago since The Smashing Pumpkins. Let's hope the follow-up to "Le Main Drag" showcases even more of their spider-sense for creating a great pop song.

Splendid Zine, 2/17/04
"The Bon Mots' brand of breathy pop is both hummable and mordant — a rare trait, to be certain — and that lethal combination tags them as one of the brightest stars on the pop frontier."

F5: Wichita's Alt News
Le Main Drag is as funny as it is serious, as innovative as it is familiar and as biting as it is embracing.

Independisc picks "le Main Drag" as its 2003 Disc of the Year
Line after line of lyrics we just want to quote back to people . . . reminds us of The Hollies crossed with The Jam and sprinkled over with a bit of Squeeze and Elvis Costello & The Attractions . . . lyrics that twist a sense of misery in a clever and witty fashion that makes more sense than the logic dictated to us as "normal." Normal is a drag, man.

JUST ADD NOISE 10/31/04
Playing a collection of vintage instruments that would make any collector drool, a truly retrospective study of pop influence is displayed here. The real highlight and main turning point of the record comes in the form of a loungy, sensual shuffle, "Get Heavy": "Took her to the bathroom for a little kiss - In a classic combination of innocence and filth."

INSOUND
An awesome guitar-pop record, with lotsa moogs and other kickass accoutrements, I get some luscious intersecting vibes. Like The Go-Betweens meets The Lucksmiths, The Zombies meets The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright and Joe Jackson, The Smiths meet Elephant 6, both the Matinee and Parasol rosters smushed together, plus a lovely nostalgic feeling that is as much powerhouse eighties college rock hookfest as it is seasoned sixties pop sensibilities.

BABY SUE
(Rating: 4+++) Extremely well executed upbeat pop with a difference. surprisingly unpretentious. The tunes have a nice, clean sound and feature some very imaginative melodies. Unlike many of their peers, these fellows don't wear dumb clothes and don't clutter their tunes with noise and weird sounds. Some of these tunes harken back to the British pop from the 1980s. Pretty cool stuff.

METROLAND, NYC
The differences in Coy and Chial's writing styles reveal themselves after several listenings, the album flowing as a seamless whole. Chial’s songs tend to have greater chordal complexity, while Coy’s draw on exuberant grooves; Coy has immediacy to Chial’s subtlety. But those lines are not constant, and there is truly a band at work here, not a project for two songwriters. they are not revivalists in the slightest. They’ve absorbed their influences fully, bringing to mind a similarly inclined East Coast trio with two main writers, the Figgs. The arrangements are dynamic, flourishes are never superfluous. Inside the punch and wallop, the songs are built on potent melodic character. The singing is committed and the playing is rich and punchy. What more do you want or need?

South of Mainstream
[L]ove it . . . their combination of pop sensibility, chop shop beats, gingerly sprinkled keyboards, thoughtful lyrics and swashbuckling vocals . . .

Pop Matters 11/04
The Bon Mots certainly live up to their name on their debut album Le Main Drag. Mixing witty lyrics and sly nods to the likes of Elvis Costello and Pavement, their musical chemistry crosses the borders of '90s indie and '80s pop with a smarty-pants attitude.

University Reporter (UR) Chicago
[A] grown up version of bittersweet melancholy. . .


BETTAWRECKONZINE
Even though two competing egos and minds are at work, Le Main Drag never feels like two separate albums Elmer-glued together and never approaches White Album territory. Both singers flourish, engulfed in the entire spectrum of spectacular pop music of the 60s, never fearing to unleash a psychedelic guitar solo or just coast along to Beatles-sans-the-facial-hair-esque pop.

Tankboy, Lost In Guyville
1960's chimey guitar surfing over moog keys . . . on this stunning debut.

IMPACT PRESS
Chicago's Bon Mots reference decades worth of catchy guitar pop, touching on everything from the 60's sounds of the Kinks and the Zombies to the kiwi rock of New Zealand's Flying Nun label. Mike Coy and Eric Chial trade songwriting duties and vocals throughout the album, yet Le Main Drag retains a cohesive feel from start to finish.

credits

released November 5, 2003

Mike Coy: writer, odd tracks; vocals, guitar, bass.
Eric Chial: writer, even tracks; vocals, guitar, bass.
Chris Frantisak: piano, keys.
Kevin Hoetger: drums, percussion, backing vocals.

Produced by The Bon Mots. Engineered and mixed by Neal Ostrovsky,
at B-Side Audio, Chicago.

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The Bon Mots Chicago, Illinois

SPIN: Bon Mots are one of the most promising new bands out there. A-

JIM DEROGATIS: Jangly psychedelic/power-pop draws on Byrds and Zombies but rises to the top of this always-overcrowded genre by virtue of strong songwriting, swirling production.

AMPLIFIER: Understated irony frequently underscores bittersweet melodies.

ALL MUSIC GUIDE: Bon Mots just may be Chicago's best-kept secret.
... more

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